Mohawk College Library Technician Report: Career Analysis

This report, prepared by a student, analyzes the role of a Library Technician, focusing on career prospects, required skills, and key attributes. The report begins with an introduction to the profession, followed by a discussion of career paths and future prospects, particularly within the context of the Edmonton Public Library. It highlights the importance of assisting readers, managing catalogs, and locating books. The report also delves into the key attributes and values essential for success, such as being a good listener and a book lover. Furthermore, it emphasizes the differentiating skills, particularly data management and analysis, that can set a library technician apart. The conclusion summarizes the student's insights and plans for enhancing their knowledge and skills, especially in data analysis, to improve their job prospects. The report is based on an interview with a library technician and includes references to relevant literature.

Running head: LIBRARY TECHNICIAN
LIBRARY TECHNICIAN
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Discussion...................................................................................................................................................2
Career and future prospects.....................................................................................................................2
Key attributes and values.........................................................................................................................3
Differentiating skills................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
Librarians are considered as the heart of every library. The libraries are maintained and monitored
by the librarians. This report discusses about the work process of the librarian. Future career plans of the
librarians are also discussed in the section. Generalized career prospect of a librarian is also stated in the
report. The attributes that are considered in the process are also stated in then report. This report also
discusses about the skills that are required for better performance of the library technicians. In the
concluding section, the career plan that is chosen is also stated in the report.
Discussion
Career and future prospects
The library that have been chosen for completion of the report is Edmond Public Library.
Edmonton Public Library have been established in the year 1913. After conducting the interview it can be
stated that assisting the readers in the libraries have been one of the major prospect that is to be
considered. Helping the readers in using the catalogs have been another aspect that is to be considered.
Locating of books have been one of the major duties that are to be performed by the library technician.
Answering questions that requires proper discussion and consultation is also provided by the librarian.
Compiling the records and data have been another aspect that is to be considered in the section. Helping
the book mobile drivers have been another aspect that is to be considered. Career of a library technician
can be divided in 3 major sections. The aspect that is considered is that in the initial stages a library
technician will be assisting his or her senior technician. After few years there will be an increase in the
post and the assistant technician will be becoming a senior library technician. After this stage, the library
technician will be becoming an analyst and will be performing clerical jobs. This performing of clerical
jobs ensures that there will be proper assessment of the understanding of book storage and management
process. The future career plans of a library technician is based on proposing the analysis of data that will

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be enhancing the business process. This section ensures data analysis will be performed by the librarian.
This ensures that there will be a proper assessment of the storing of books. The working environment of a
librarian is very soothing. The working process is very peaceful. The entire working process have very
quite and peaceful in nature.
In general, it have been seen that a librarian can be becoming an analyst in future regarding the
demand of the books. It is seen that the librarian will be having a proper understanding of the number of
books that have been issues by the students and in this process the librarian will be having a proper aspect
that will be ensuring the fact that in case stock of books are not available the librarian will be able to
analyze the availability of the books. This ensures that there is a chance of shifting the job role from
library technician to data analyst consultant. In this process, one can be having a consultancy of their own
in which he or she will be gathering data and hence wise this will be ensuring that there will be a proper
statements will be provided in a manner that will be fulfilling the needs of the students. This analyzing of
the needs of the students and purchasing books accordingly will be ensuring that there will be a proper
cost management and excess and unwanted books and magazine buying can be avoided. In case then
consultancy successfully gets hold of contracts of few libraries, the entire job prospect is very good and is
highly rewarding in nature. Another aspect that is to be considered is that as the interviewee have been
working in a big and well established library, the entire book storage and collection process will be acting
will be ensuring that there are several levels of library technicians in the organization . In case the
interviewee works hard, he will be becoming the manager of the library technicians which is considered
to be prestigious in nature.
Key attributes and values
The basic values and attributes that are required for being a successful librarian includes the fact
that the librarian needs to be a good listener. In case the librarian fails to listen to the requirement of the
issued library members, he will not be able to provide the member with the assistance he or she wants.
This have been one of the major benefit that is to be considered in the process. This section also ensures

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the fact that the librarian needs to be a book lover. This is one of the major aspect that is to be considered
in the process. In case the librarian is not a reader himself, he will definitely nit be enjoying the job.
Hence being a reader and a book lover have been one of the major attribute that is to be considered in the
process.
Differentiating skills
The major aspect and skill that is to be taught to the librarian includes the likes of having a proper
understanding of the data management process. Data management and analysis are the 2 major prospects
that will be differentiating the job role of a librarian from any other librarian. Hence the technician
programs need to focus on teaching the prospect of data handling. This data handling process will be
benefitting the entire prospect.
Conclusion
After performing proper research I have decided to increase the basic attributes that are required
for performing better analysis of the job prospect. I have decided to increase my domain of knowledge
regarding books and its genres. This will be increasing the efficiency of the working process. I will be
focusing on the data analysis section as well. This data analysis will be benefitting the operational process
as well. This is one of the major aspect that will be differentiating my skill set form others.

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Bibliography
Edwards, Ashley. "The instructional library technician." (2016).
Farnel, Sharon. "Editorial board thoughts: metadata training in Canadian library technician
programs." Information Technology and Libraries 35.4 (2016): 3-6.
Fourie, Denise K., and Nancy E. Loe. Libraries in the Information Age: An Introduction and
Career Exploration: An Introduction and Career Exploration. ABC-CLIO, 2016.
Klein, Rebecca T., and Janelle Asselin. Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love
Reading and Research. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2017.
McAdoo, Monty L., and Joan Tease. "The Mansfield protocol for laptop computer circulation:
How a library can provide its own technical support." College & Research Libraries News 59.7
(2020): 507-513.
Williams, Claire, and Minter Ellison. "Strategic Directions: A Change in Career." Austl. L.
Libr. 25 (2017): 84.